‘Media freedom does not mean arbitrariness’

Prime Minister’s Press Secretary Saleh Shibly on Thursday said the government was committed to full media freedom, but stressed that such freedom did not mean “arbitrariness”.

He said the limits of media freedom should not be determined by the government or individuals, with the courts having the authority to make the final decision.

Shibly made the remarks while speaking at the “Meet the Reporters” programme organised by the Dhaka Reporters Unity.

He said media professionals should understand that freedom did not mean being arbitrary or writing whatever one wanted. “Those of us who are in this profession now believe that the Bangladesh government is in favour of freedom, freedom of the press and freedom of the media.

When we talk about freedom, we should not become arbitrary. Freedom does not mean that you can write whatever you want,” he said. Shibly said around 7 crore people use the internet in Bangladesh and anyone could write against another person simply because they wanted to.

“But when you start writing against someone, that person also has a statement, does he not? If not, and if I have unrestricted freedom, I can write whatever I want against whoever I want. How will we get out of this situation? There is no way to get out of it,” he said.

He said the practice of writing against people simply because one disliked them was spreading “like an epidemic”.

The press secretary urged those working in mobile journalism, citizen journalism, newspapers and television to introduce regular fact-checking programmes or reports.

“If each of us hosts a programme, spanning 10-15 minutes, or if the print media publishes a report asking whether what we saw, heard and understood throughout the day after waking up was actually true, and if we conduct such a programme under any name such as fact-checking or verification of truth and falsehood, you will see that many people will benefit,” Shibly said.

He said people could debate the limits of freedom but should understand that freedom also had boundaries.
“However, neither you nor I, nor the government, will determine those boundaries. The courts will determine them,” he said.
Shibly said the current government, led by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, was also working to ensure that all institutions, including the courts, operated independently and according to their statutory rules and laws.
He also said it was necessary to examine whether a newspaper or media owner had the capacity to run the organisation while paying salaries and allowances to employees.
The press secretary urged people to remain cautious about misinformation circulated by unregistered online portals.
On government discipline, Shibly said the Prime Minister arrived at the office at 9:00am and a digital system was being used to record when officials arrived and left.
“The system has been introduced not to merely monitor individuals, but also to understand how disciplined they have become and what they intend to do,” he said.
He said the Prime Minister digitally confirmed his own arrival and departure.
“The reason is that the person who is leading us, whom we are following, whether he himself follows it is important,” he said.
Shibly said people could see that the Prime Minister did first what he asked others to do.
On the economy, he said Bangladesh had begun its journey from a fragile economic position but was gradually recovering as the country had entered a phase of reconstruction.
He said Bangladesh had emerged as a highly safe and stable destination for foreign investment, overcoming various domestic and international risks.
The press secretary acknowledged that not everyone in Bangladesh had become a BNP supporter or supported the government, saying there was no need for everyone to do so.
He said people did not, and should not, be expected to have identical opinions and perspectives.
“But this country is ours. This state is ours. And the government is making every possible effort to become a government for everyone,” he said.
Shibly said the government’s first priority was to establish human dignity.
He said anyone who committed an offence or crossed a legal limit should be tried under the law but should not face political persecution.
“The government under Prime Minister Tarique Rahman wants to build such a Bangladesh,” he said.